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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting at the Pentagon

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The Story

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is being pressed to answer for his hospitalization.

What do you mean?

Over the weekend, the Pentagon said its leader started off 2024 in intensive care after experiencing severe pain following an “elective medical procedure” in December. That would normally earn ‘get well’ cards — but in this case he waited days to tell the White House and Congress about it. Austin said he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.” Even the person who stepped in for him, Kathleen Hicks, wasn’t briefed about his hospitalization until late last week.

Why is this a problem?

Because the WH didn’t have a clear understanding of US military leadership for three days. The Pentagon still doesn’t have word on what Austin was being treated for, if he lost consciousness, and when he will be released. As a result, Republicans are calling on Austin to testify or be ousted over failing to communicate. Meanwhile, President Biden said he still has “full confidence” in Austin. Pentagon officials reportedly maintain that Austin’s hospitalization didn’t put national security at risk.

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Concerns over Austin’s hospitalization come amid tensions with Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea, attacks on troops in Iraq and Syria, and conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Now, Biden has to answer for how his admin is navigating US military leadership, just as his campaign gears up for the upcoming election.

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What Congress is looking at…

An agreement to fund the government. Yesterday, congressional leaders reached a $1.66 trillion deal to keep the government’s lights on. It earmarks $886 billion for defense and $772.7 billion for non-defense spending. Still, it’s not clear if the same congressional drama over funding from 2023 will carry over until the deadline next week. The far-right House Freedom Caucus called the deal a “total failure” and “totally unacceptable,” so it’s not clear if they’ll sign off. They’ve demanded deeper spending cuts and greater border security. That means the rest of the House Republicans and Democrats will need to support it in order to get the deal through.

What no one wants to see when they’re flying...

A hole in the middle of the plane. Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded about 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. That announcement comes after a door on the side of the plane blew out midair on an Alaska Airlines flight, forcing an emergency landing. None of the passengers or crew onboard were seriously injured. Still, this latest incident has Boeing under the microscope again. The company was under intense scrutiny after its planes crashed in 2018 and 2019 — killing more than 340 people. Now, the FAA ordered “immediate inspections” of all 737 Max 9 planes used by US airlines. Meanwhile, at least 23,000 passengers have been left stranded as their flights were canceled as a result. Officials are still investigating what led to the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight. They said a Portland school teacher found a "key missing component" of the door in his backyard. Coupled with a winter storm in the Northeast, it wasn’t an easy travel weekend for some.

What’s as good as gold…

The winners at the Golden Globes. Yesterday, "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" took home wins, and served as a reminder that Barbenheimer never really left. No one’s saying poor thing about "Poor Things" — or Jennifer Lawrence. Ali Wong and Steven Yeun became the first actors of Asian descent to win for their roles in "Beef." Timotheé Chalamet and Kylie Jenner got close and comfy. Jeremey Allen White's Calvin Klein's ad was in the room. Jo Koy reminded everyone about Barry Keoghan’s full frontal. Taylor Swift didn’t like the jokes. Kieran Culkin told Pedro Pascal to "suck it."

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Lights, Camera, Acting...Anais C (DC). Today she kicks off her acting conservatory program — a bucket list item she can now Chekhov.

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